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James Laube's Wine Flights
Ten Golden State winemakers who stepped up their game in 2012
Posted: December 20, 2012 By James Laube
I tasted thousands of wines in 2012, and you already know which wines we selected for the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2012. Today I want to recognize some of the California winemakers who stepped up their game in 2012, either with their own wines or in their consulting projects. You will see some familiar names as well as some you probably don't yet know, but all are making outstanding if not classic-rated wines.
Read on for more on Jeff Ames, Russell Bevan, Eric Jensen, Annie Favia and Andy Erickson, Kenneth Juhasz, Helen Keplinger, Joey Wagner and more.
Dec. 15, 2012 Issue
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Columns
Posted: December 15, 2012 By James Laube
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James Laube's Wine Flights
Matt Courtney appeared to be Helen Turley's successor
Posted: December 5, 2012 By James Laube
Matt Courtney, who many thought would become Marcassin's winemaker, is leaving the high-profile winery after eight years and in January will become winemaker for Arista, a Sonoma-based, family-owned winery that specializes in Pinot Noir.
Joining Arista would seem like a good fit for Courtney, 41, since he's been working with both Sonoma Pinot and Chardonnay during his stint with Marcassin. Arista makes a handful of wines, including old-vine Zinfandel, which also appeals to Courtney. He worked with Zinfandel at Martinelli when Helen Turley was Martinelli's winemaker-consultant and also made Zin at Biale Winery in Napa Valley.
Nov. 30, 2012 Issue
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Features
Posted: November 30, 2012 By James Laube
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James Laube's Wine Flights
The irrepressible Bonny Doon proprietor wants to be taken more seriously, and his newest wines are backing him up
Posted: November 15, 2012 By James Laube
Randall Grahm insists he's grown up, as in matured. For those who have followed the zigzags of his career, one wonders whether the new pose is for real, or whether it's just a front for the irrepressible jester in him. He has recast and reinvented himself so many times in the past 30 years that it's natural to wonder which Randall Grahm we're dealing with. Indeed, the new Grahm can't entirely escape the old Grahm.
This much seemed apparent recently when he visited me in at my office to convey his desire to shed his whimsical nature and strike a more serious stance. That his new wines are among the best he's made adds credence to his desire to reboot his livelihood.
Nov. 15, 2012 Issue
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Columns
Posted: November 15, 2012 By James Laube
Nov. 15, 2012 Issue
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Features
This wild and rocky terrain produces profound Cabernets
Posted: November 15, 2012 By James Laube
Nov. 15, 2012 Issue
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Retrospective/Vertical
Posted: November 15, 2012 By James Laube
Nov. 15, 2012 Issue
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Features
A stunning vintage in 2009 yields a bounty of great wine
Posted: November 15, 2012 By James Laube
Blogs
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James Laube's Wine Flights
The Cep Sonoma Coast Syrah 2010 keeps the alcohol (and price) in check without sacrificing flavor
Posted: November 12, 2012 By James Laube
I don't see many sub-13 percent alcohol wines these days.
Most of the wines reviewed by Wine Spectator are north of 14 percent alcohol, and for sure California has some of the ripest wines going, so I was understandably intrigued when the bag came off of a Syrah I'd liked in a recent blind tasting and it turned out to be lower alcohol.
